Recap: Hinostroza Leads Coyotes Over Senators

OTTAWA --Vinnie Hinostroza produced two goals and one assist to lead the Coyotes to a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centre.

Arizona, which played much of the game minus injured captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson, never trailed in the win, its fourth in a row vs. Ottawa over the past two seasons.
Ekman-Larsson left the game early in the second period because of a lower-body injury and did not return. After the game, Head Coach Rick Tocchet said it was too soon to know the severity of the injury.
"We'll know more tomorrow," Tocchet said. "We'll hope for the best."

Hinostroza gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead when he converted a slick backhanded pass across the crease from Richard Panik into a goal at 11:39 of the first period.
Bobby Ryan pulled Ottawa into a 1-1 tie when he one-timed a pass from Ryan Dzingel past Darcy Kuemper at 1:09 of the second. But the stalemate was short-lived, thanks to Hinostroza, who bumped a rebound off the end boards past Senators goalie Craig Anderson 2:22 after Ryan's goal.
The two-goal outing was the third of Hinostroza's NHL career, and he welcomed it after a recent 21-game goal-scoring drought.
"When you're in a slump, you grip your stick a little tight," Hinostroza said. "And then once you get that first one, you tend to feel better and just get more confidence. When you're playing with confidence, you're a whole different player."

Derek Stepan scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal at 6:25 of the second period. Panik provided the assist with another nifty pass deep in the offensive zone.
"The Stepan line was excellent tonight," Tocchet said. "They had a lot of possession time, changed momentum when they were on the ice, and they did a great job for us. (Hinostroza) is really hard on the forecheck, (Panik) is being real sticky in the corners, and (Stepan) is a smart guy, he kind of reacts off those guys ... Just the chemistry right now, they're feeling it."

• Kuemper stopped 25 shots, including all 10 he faced in the first period, to earn his sixth victory of the month.
"They came out flying in the first 10 minutes and 'Kemps' kept us in the game," Hinostroza said. "We stuck to what's worked for us and it led to some goals and some good defense. We've been playing really good hockey right now and we like where this is going and we just want to keep it going."

• Already playing minus Ekman-Larsson, Niklas Hjlamarsson missed several shifts in the third period after being hit by a puck under his left eye. He returned to the ice after receiving medical attention and finished the game.
Jordan Oesterle, who made a nice "save" late in the third period to preserve a 3-2 lead, said playing with just five defensemen, and only four for that stretch without Hjalmarsson, was challenging.
"It's tough," Oesterle said. "You can't replace a guy like OEL. He's the heartbeat of our team. He's our leader. But I think the five of us (remaining defensemen) on the bench, and (Assistant Coach) Scotty Allen, just dug in and wanted to get this win and get out of here."
• With the victory, the Coyotes climbed to just two points behind the Colorado Avalanche, who currently reside in the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference standings.
"We all know where we are in the standings," Oesterle said. "We know what's at stake with every game that we play. We're fighting every inch by inch to try and make a push to the playoffs."